A German pensioner from Lower Saxony has been fined €800 by the Celle district court after posting a satirical comment about Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock through the Foreign Office’s online contact form. The court ruled that his remarks were defamatory and undermined the minister’s honor.
In the online submission, the pensioner, identified as Helmut K., questioned the left-wing Greens politician’s maturity and asked whether she would ever grow up.
“Some evil tongues say: never, because she hit the ceiling too often while jumping on the trampoline.” He signed the comment with the phrase “Helmut K., internally emigrated tax slave.”
As first reported by Apollo News, the remarks made on Dec. 5 last year led to a penalty order citing defamation under Germany’s Criminal Code. The court argued that the pensioner’s statement “belittled the injured Annalena Baerbock in her honor” and noted that he had “at least accepted” this consequence.
The pensioner was fined €800, payable in 40 daily installments of €20. Additionally, he must cover approximately €77 in fees, a significant burden for the retired man, whose monthly income is just €1,500.
The defendant insisted his remarks were intended purely as satire and claimed the court had misinterpreted them as defamatory rather than humorous.
The Foreign Office has not clarified whether Minister Baerbock personally filed a complaint, citing her frequent experience as a target of criminal threats, insults, and hate speech. “In such cases, complaints are filed,” a spokesperson noted, without addressing this specific situation.
The case has reignited a broader debate in Germany over the boundaries of satire and free speech, particularly when directed at public figures. Germany’s Criminal Code allows for prosecution under Section 188, which addresses defamation against individuals in political life. This can result in fines or even prison sentences of up to five years in severe cases, but many argue the provision is now being widely misused to clamp down on freedom of expression.
Beatrix von Storch, deputy leader of the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, took to social media in solidarity with the now-criminal pensioner, repeating his “defamatory” statement.
“Baerbock hit the ceiling too often while jumping on the trampoline. So, I’m curious to see whether only pensioners with small incomes will be sentenced to a fine of €800 or whether members of the Bundestag will also, who will then open up a big can of worms in the media. Go for it!” she wrote on X.
Remix News has reported on several other cases involving ordinary Germans being handed criminal convictions and fines for mild online insults to politicians.
A civil engineer living in Lower Saxony was imprisoned after sending an angry email to Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig of the Social Democrats (SPD) in which he called her a “storyteller” and accused her of talking “stupid stuff.”
🇩🇪🚨 A 69-year-old pensioner from Biberach has been fined €900 by a German court for sharing memes on Facebook that insult high-ranking German politicians.
The defendant's frequent posts alerted the Central Reporting Office for Criminal Content on the Internet – a division of… pic.twitter.com/WUpHZbtglP
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) August 13, 2024Similarly, a retired soldier had his house raided in Bavaria for calling Economic Minister Robert Habeck an “idiot,” while a 69-year-old pensioner from Biberach was fined €900 for sharing memes on Facebook that insult high-ranking German politicians, describing them as “incompetent,” “dishonorable,” “greedy,” and “liars.”
Critics argue that satire should not be met with legal penalties, particularly when directed at public officials who are accustomed to public scrutiny, and that criminal convictions for such acts are entirely disproportionate.
